


Bad day to die: Hitman and Freckels (English version)

by JeanJeanAlexender



Category: Rick and Morty
Genre: Action, Blood and Violence, Citadel of Ricks, Consensual Underage Sex, Gun Violence, Hitman Rick, Light Angst, M/M, Murder, RaM Mini Bang 2020, Rape/Non-con Elements, Target Morty, Unexpected duo, mafia
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-29
Updated: 2020-10-29
Packaged: 2021-03-08 17:04:42
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 19,793
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27260119
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JeanJeanAlexender/pseuds/JeanJeanAlexender
Summary: He never asked any questions. They' d give him the money and he'd do the job. The dirty work. He would walk in and leave with bloody hands. No witnesses. That was the rule. But not that night. That night, he simply couldn't bring himself to pull the trigger.A story in which a hit man and his target become an unlikely duo.
Relationships: Rick Sanchez & Morty Smith, Rick Sanchez/Morty Smith
Comments: 13
Kudos: 46
Collections: RaM Mini Bang 2020





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This fanfic was written for the RaM Mini Bang 2020 and illustrated by three talented artists.  
> I would like to sincerely thank them for their support and hope I didn't disappoint them too much. This fanfic was cool but exhausting to write. I hope it will be entertaining.
> 
> Enjoy your reading
> 
> Artists:  
> @futagogo  
> @Yusunaby

He had only started this job six months ago and had already made a reputation in the business. Reputation was the key to finally getting some big contracts. One big contract was enough to last several months and even pay off a good part of his debts. Crime pays. It's a thriving business that keeps growing with the citadel's demographic curve. Some would say that killing for a living is immoral, monstrous. Yeah... and these are the same people who glorify soldiers who go to war to slaughter civilians in other countries. It's all the same shit. Killing for your country, killing for money... it's all the same shit. In the end, there's always a dead body lying on the ground. No matter what anyone says, at least he did this job for a good reason: to survive. And what's more legitimate than killing to survive in a world where your own existence is a danger to yourself ? Yeah, Ricks aren't very friendly companions. Never trust Ricks... especially the ones who hire you to kill others. 

"Come in, have a seat." said Tony as he opened the door. As always, he reeked of luxury perfume and the shirt of his suit was indecently open on a torso way too hairy for a Rick. 

Rick walked into the huge office, a new mixture of scent came to tickle his nostrils :tobacco, alcohol and many other illegal substances. He walked over to the couch where he used to sit, the one facing the exit door, only to stop just in front of it. He cleared his throat and glanced at Tony. 

Tony, who was busy at the mini bar behind his desk, looked back in his direction. 

"Arrgh, come on ! Boys, how many times have I told you not to sleep on the couch. How long have you been there?" he sighed as he put down his ice cube jar. He made his way to the couch, clapping his hands to wake the three naked, sleeping Mortys lying there. "Come on, come on, wake up now. What'd I say, huh? When Daddy's having a customer over, you can't stay here. How many times do I have to tell you that, hm?!" he says in a soft voice as he bends over to kiss each of the three sleepy faces like a mother waking her children in the morning, his gold chain dangling from his neck with each kiss. 

The Mortys, sleeping one on top of the other, slowly rose to their feet, rubbing their eyes and yawning. "But y-you said we could stay with you today, daddy... " said one of them, in a tired voice. 

"I know, I know, but later, sweetheart. Why don't you go take a shower and rest in your rooms. You must be exhausted after last night, right?!” 

"All right, Daddy" said the Mortys in chorus, before staggering to a hidden door at the back of the room. 

"This is new, you've got kids now?!" Rick said as he sat on the couch. He took a cigarette pack from his black jacket pocket and lit one. "I didn't know you had a fatherly instinct," he added sarcastically. 

"Yeah, I decided to take the plunge. "said Tony as he headed back to the mini bar to get the two drinks of scotch." I got them on sale. If I bought two, the third one was free. They look like three little angels but in bed they're real demons," he said proudly, before returning to the sofas, drinks in hand. "You should have seen them last night, real succubus. We fucked five fucking rounds. All night, no breaks." He stopped to make the naughty gesture with his hips, while laughing loudly, spilling a bit of alcohol on his hands as he gesticulated. He didn't seem to care, quickly licking the rim of one glass and his overly ringed fingers, before handing Rick the other glass. 

"I already told you, S-836, I don't drink," Rick said before pulling a latte from his cigarette. 

"And I already told you not to call me that. It's Tony D now, goddamn it. Tony D. Montana, got it ?!" he growled as he swallowed the two glasses of scotch like lemonade. "Besides, when do you get a real name?'' 

"What for? Rick's the perfect name for this job. It couldn't be any more anonymous." 

"You can be anonymous and have a cool name, you know." 

"Cool like yours...Tony D. Montana." he says with a smirk. "No thanks, I'll pass." 

"Fuck you" Tony chuckled. 

"All right then, _Tony_..." Articulated Rick in a slightly mocking tone."What do you got for me?” 

Tony put the drinks on the coffee table and slumped on the couch facing him. He stretched both arms over the backrest with a business smile that gave a glimpse of his golden canine tooth. 

"I've got a contract that'll give you golden balls, motherfucker. It's an easy job. There's only one target." 

"How much? " Rick asked. 

“ 700.000 credits” 

Rick raised an eyebrow, "700,000 just for one target?" 

"700,000 credits for one target.” Tony repeated, nodding his head. " You see, this target is threatening my entire business, so... » 

Rick thought for a moment. 700.000 just for one target almost seemed too good to be true. But until now Tony had always been clean with him and he had bills to pay. 

"Okay, I'm in. Send me the details tonight and tomorrow morning I'll-" 

"I've already sent you all the details you need by e-mail and I want the work done by tonight." Said Tony, cutting him off. 

"Tonight ?" Rick repeated, slightly surprised, as he smashed his cigarette into the ashtray on the coffee table."You know that's not how I operate." 

"Yeah, I know you're the kind of guy who scans the place the night before, but listen..." Tony insisted, leaning slightly forward, as if to appear more convincing. "I really need you to take care of it tonight. What difference does it make anyway?!" 

"It changes that's not how I operate...Tony." Rick repeated coldly, "If there's just one target, why don't you order one of your minions to care of it ? A 700,000 credits check should bring in a lot of candidates, don't you think?" 

Rick slightly regretted finishing his sentence as he met Tony's gaze. 

"You're asking a lot of questions, huh? You're not usually a talkative guy. Did you forget the rules, or what?" He said as he leaned against the couch again, with a smile more frightening than reassuring. 

"No" Rick replied calmly, feeling a certain tension building up between them. 

"No what, be specific." Tony snapped. He wasn't smiling anymore. 

"No, I haven't forgotten the rules." 

"Then what are they?" 

Rick sighed, with that 'A _re you serious?!'_ look on his face, but Tony didn't bat an eye. 

"No question asked." Rick finally answered. 

" That’s all ? " insisted the mobster, with a serious look on his face. 

" Rule number one: no witnesses. Rule number two: no questions asked. Rule number three: don't touch the body. Rule number four: No fingerprints. And rule number five: If you fuck up, you deal with it." Rick recited, lowering his gaze. 

"Exactly. Those are the rules, and I don't like doing business with guys who don't play by the rules, get it ?! » 

"Yeah, I got it." 

"Well, that's fine," Tony said, rising sharply, suddenly in a good mood, "I'm counting on you then. Call me as soon as the job is done, then I'll send my men to clean up." 

Rick got up and dusted off his jacket before following Tony who was already standing in front of the open door. 

"It's always a pleasure doing business with you, Rick." said the mobster, giving him a manly pat on the back, with his usual fake smile. 

Rick nodded and left. 

*** 

He locked the door, panting for air and threw his helmet on the floor. 

" Shit, shit, shit! " he grunted, grabbing his hair in his hands. 

He had to think and think fast. A noise rang out. He jumped. His wet boots hammered heavily on the floor, crossing the small living room to the window facing the street. 

He opened the shutters, his eyes watching for the slightest movement. False alarm. Just cats in the bin. He slowly turned around. 

His gaze dropped on him. 

His frail body was trembling like a leaf. His wet hair, stuck along his cheeks, dripped down the sides of his frightened face. He looked so vulnerable, like that, standing in the middle of the room, wet to the bone like a small wounded animal. 

Rick sighed again. 

" Like I said, I'm not going to hurt you." he said as he stepped towards the kid. The boy, however, immediately tensed up in fear, clutching his hands even tighter to his chest. 

Rick stopped. Staring for a moment at the Morty in the middle of his living room. 

The Morty he was supposed to terminate. 

_Rule number one: no witnesses._

*** 

**1 hours** **earlier**

Night had just fallen on the Citadel. An artificial one, of course. Rick turned off the engine and got off his bike. He took off his helmet and looked up at the decrepit old building in front of him. He took out his phone and clicked on the email Tony had sent him. It was the right address. His eyes stopped on the name of his target: Baby Bee. Never heard of it. Probably a small business owner of a new company that was shadowing Tony's business. The usual. Competition was fierce at the Citadel. Whatever it took to make it to the top of the pyramid. Rick opened the small trunk of his bike and put his helmet in, before pulling out his gun. A beautiful caliber with a silencer. He then loaded the ammunition, in a quick and automatic motion that had been done hundreds of times before. The air cooled and a thunderstorm roared in the distance. Rick closed the lid, put his gun in the holster of his jacket, arranged his turtleneck and walked towards the building. 

Diffuse noises of arguing, loud television and people fucking escaped from the closed doors. The slum building sheltered poor people who didn't have enough to afford better. Rick turned right and went up the stairs to the fifth floor. Door 47. He knocked. Yeah, he knocked on the door. It may sound weird, but people often have the reflex to open the door without even checking. They open up and by the time they say, ' _Who the hell are you?'_ they've got a bullet between the eyes. Easy. Easier than smashing the door down. 

Rick knocked again. Harder. Quick and probably annoying footsteps approached. The door opened. 

Rick pulled out his gun in a quick motion and pointed it at Rick's forehead who had just opened the door. 

"WOW, WOW, WOW!" he cried, putting his hands up in the air and backing away, "W-WAIT, MAN, THAT'S NOT M-" Rick shot. The man fell backwards dead.

Rick entered and quickly closed the door behind him. He put his gun back in his holster and walked over to the body, watching the huge bloodstain on the back of his head spread all over the carpet. 

He crouched down. So this was the target that was worth 700,000 credits, huh ? A Rick wearing a Hawaiian shirt and a badly-matched bob hat? Shit, what the hell did this guy possibly did that made Tony want to kill him? That dude looked more like a pizza guy than a threat. 

But then again, it was none of his business. 

_Rule number two: No questions._

Rick put some gloves on and went through the victim's pockets looking for a wallet. Bingo. He opened it, pulled out the cards from the wallet, and threw them on the floor one by one. 

Massage shop card _Mortyhands_. 

_DunRickDonuts_ coupon. 

Membership card at _The Creepy Morty_. 

Flyer for a soccer match. 

Expired Lottery ticket. 

Flyer for _RickMortyLove_ speed dating. 

Ha! Finally an I.D: Rick Sanchez Dimension T-093. 

Rick put the ID on the corpse's torso and took out his phone to take a picture. Standard procedure to prove the job was done right. He snapped a shot when a door slammed suddenly. 

''Dude, why are you taking so long. Is Portos here yet or not?" said the Rick who just walked out of the room. He froze in mid-sentence. 

For a moment the two men looked at each other in awe. The guy who had just come out of the room glanced at the corpse on the floor and then at Rick, then at the corpse and then at Rick. 

" Fuck! " Rick swore as he grabbed his gun. He aimed at the other Rick, but this one had time to dodge by rolling on the floor towards a small piece of furniture that he opened to take out a tommy gun. A fucking tommy gun! 

Rick had just enough time to duck behind the nearby kitchen counter before the other one fired a burst. Dozens of bullets went into the kitchen cupboards with a deafening noise. 

" WHAT WAS THAT!" shouted another voice from a back room. 

_Wait, another one?_

"That bastard killed T-93! "replied the first Rick, firing another burst. 

Rick swore and took a deep breath. _Let's do it!_ He slid to the side to be uncovered and fired two bullets with surgical precision.The two men were hit, one in the head and the other in the throat. Rick quickly got up and walked towards the two guys lying on the floor. He was about to reach down, when suddenly one of them got up in a fury and attacked him. The hitman was thrown against the nearest wall and dropped his gun. _Shit, how can he still be alive !?_ Rick thought, surprised. He hadn't missed him, though. This guy was pissing blood like a fountain, and yet he still had the strength to fight. Yeah, the guy probably had a fucking bionic body. 

Rick dodged a punch by ducking on reflex and responded with a knee kick to his assailant's stomach. The guy backed away, gasping for breath, and Rick took the opportunity to hit him with a powerful right hook. This dude may have a bionic body, but Rick was much more robust than him, or let's say, slightly more athletic than a normal Rick. His punches kept flowing fast and hard, breaking the guy's jaw a little bit more each time, and he was now so covered in blood that it felt like that goddamn scene from _Carrie_. 

The man fell to the floor. K.O. Rick picked up his gun and stood over him, panting with bloody fists, watching him choke on his blood. His face was completely bruised, his throat burst. He aimed at his head and shot, blood splashed on him. Rick took a white tissue out of his jacket and wiped the barrel of his gun, thinking he was done, when another sound echoed. _For fuck's sake, how many of them are there ?_

He walked cautiously down the corridor to the back rooms, ready to fire, alert for the slightest noise. 

"There's no point in hiding, I know you're there." he threatened. 

Footsteps echoed across a room. That dude was screwed. There's no way he'd escape. Rick stopped at the doorway, "I've already killed your friends, you're next," he put his hand on the doorknob and turned, finger on the trigger. He entered the room and pointed the gun in front of him. No one. He frowned, gazing through the small room. A bed on the cold hard floor, a small sink, a moth-eaten wooden cupboard, wallpaper falling apart, the room was disgusting. 

The cupboard door moved slightly. Rick pointed his gun at it. Seriously ?! this guy was hiding in a closet...pitiful. He took a few steps, reached for the door ready to shoot a fourth Rick, pulled the door open, and almost fully pulled the trigger when his heart skipped a beat. 

*** 

He squeezed his frail knees a little closer to his chest as he watched with dissociation the three Ricks talking loudly around the playing table. The room was filled with a yellowish light that hung from the ceiling, swaying slightly at the slightest vibration. Through the window, city lights and flying cars lit up the dark sky. A droplet splashed on the window glass. It looked like it was about to rain. 

"The key is to take it slow, you see." said the man wearing a bob hat, putting his hand of cards on the table. The two other Ricks grunted and picked new cards. "Just whisper sweet words to them, and then they'll spread their thighs for you. They're acting like, _'no, I can't, it's against the rules'_ but the truth is they're just waiting for someone to grab their ass." 

"Hey, what was the name of that massage shop again?!" Ask the second Rick while chewing on a toothpick. 

" _MortyHands_. '' replied the Rick with the bob hat. He took his wallet out of his Hawaiian shirt. "Here, I've even got a card," he said, proudly waving it. "After 20 massages you get a free one.'' 

The third Rick took the card to inspect it. He scratched his belly over his white tank top, looking half-convinced, "Yeah, not bad. If you're saying all you have to do is coo in the Mortys' ear to get more than a massage, then maybe it's worth it. But why don't we have some fun with him instead," he added looking salaciously at the boy crouching on the floor in the corner of the room. 

"Are you crazy or what! You want to get yourself killed! " shouted Bob hat Rick as he snatched the card from his hands and put it back in his wallet. 

"What ?! No one's gonna know. We'll make sure the kid doesn't say anything. Look at him, he's terrified since we brought him here. One extra trauma won't make a difference." 

" We ain't touching the kid! "I don't wanna get killed 'cause you can't keep your dick in your fucking pants. We do what we're told. The boss said not to damage his merchandise." 

"Pfff, bullshit," the third Rick cursed, staring at the poor boy who had started shaking as soon as he was mentioned. 

"T-93 is right. " Intervened toothpick Rick. " We do what we're paid for, and then that's it. We deliver the kid as soon as Portos comes back with the stuff." 

"And when the fuck is he gonna be back?! We've been waiting here for two days in this shitty hideout" Tank top Rick said. 

"He should be here in about-" 

There was a sudden knock on the front door. 

"It's Portos?'' asked toothpick Rick, raising an eyebrow. "He's early, isn't he?'' 

"Yeah, I guess so. Open the door for him. " Order tank top Rick. 

"Why me, you go open it ! » 

Another knocked. Louder. 

"I go all the time, so it's your turn now, asshole! » 

"Argh, shut the fuck up, you dickheads. " Bob hat Rick finally growled. "All right, I'm going." 

"Yeah, and get us some beers while you're at it! " Tank top Rick yelled. "His friend walked out the door and waved his middle finger in response. 

* 

The shooting had stopped now, and he took refuge in his bedroom. 

"There's no point in hiding, I know you're there. " said a voice in the distance. His chest tightened. Panic overtook him. He frantically scanned the room with his eyes. The closet! He rushed inside. From the dark inside, he could hear footsteps approaching dangerously. "I've already killed your friends, you're next" 

The door opened with a squeak. He moved slightly, curling up a little more, while his stomach painfully knotted. That was the end. The end of his miserable existence. But maybe... maybe it was better that way after all. At least he'll take his secret to the grave. The closet door opened abruptly. The sudden light hitting his retinas would have made anyone blink, but Morty was far too terrified by the huge and frightening silhouette of the Rick pointing his gun at him. His big brown eyes widened in terror as a powerful thunderclap suddenly echoed. A flash of lightning lit up the Rick's face and the boy could see, his blood-covered face showing an astonished expression. 

Lightning flashed down as they both looked into each other's eyes. Outside it was raining cats and dogs. 

*** 

Shit, what the hell was he thinking? Why the hell did he bring that kid here. To his house! How could he ignore fucking rule number one. 

Rick massaged the bridge of his nose. He really fucked up. What was he supposed to do with him now? 

_Well maybe you could start by drying him off, that'd be a good start, huh?!_ He said to himself as he saw the boy shaking like a leaf. His sweatshirt, way too big for him, was completely soaked just like his shorts and his shoes. The curls of his brown hair were sticking to his temples and dripping down his freckle-dotted face.His frightened eyes were still staring at him. 

"A-a-are you going to kill me?'' 

It was the first time he ever heard him talk. The first time he heard his voice... almost inaudible, trembling, with a pronounced stutter. 

"No... "Rick said after a moment ''No, I'm not going to kill you.'' 

The boy was startled when he walked towards him and went past him to go to the room at the back. The sounds of a closet being opened and closed echoed through the apartment. 

Rick came back with a towel in his hands and handed it to the kid. The boy took it hesitantly as if he didn't know what to do with it, holding it in his hands, frozen. 

Rick rolled his eyes. Shit, were all Mortys so... slow-minded? 

The hitman snatched the towel from his hands with a grunt and put it on his head, rubbing it to dry his hair. Hell, he was already starting to regret not applying rule number one. Seriously, he didn't have time for that kind of bullshit. Babysitting. No thanks. He had to find another way to get rid of this Morty. A non-lethal way, of course. 

"Here, keep drying yourself. " he said, stopping rubbing to let him do it. "And get these fucking wet clothes off, you'll catch a cold like that ! There should have some clothes in my-" he went silent halfway through his sentence when his phone buzzed. 

He took it out of his pocket. 

_Tony_

Rick glanced at the kid before staring at his phone again. He picked it up. 

"Yeah Tony, I was just about to call you," he lied as he turned his back to the boy. 

"I was hoping for your call, cause I was-ghnn- getting very impatient... Ahn fuck." 

"Um... are you sure I'm not interrupting anything? " Rick asked, even though he wasn't the one who called. 

"Nah, don't worry I'm-I'm just doing some exercise, if you know what I mean." Tony replied, his smirk perceptible in his voice. Panting breaths, high-pitched moans, low growls, and flesh sounds echoed from the other end of the phone. Yeah. He was fucking. "So, did you take care of everything like I asked you to? » 

"Yeah. I took out your guy and all his buddies that you didn't mention at all. Rick says with a frown. "I almost got killed. You said there was only one target. There was more than one, what kind of fucked up plan was that, Tony! '' 

"There were several of them, really?! " says Tony. He seemed surprised but not really concerned. "I may be a Rick, but math-anh has never been my thing, you know. Except when it comes to counting my money!" he laughed too hard and too long at his own joke. 

"I'm serious, Tony." 

"Oh come on, don't be mad! The most important thing is that you killed this Morty, right?!" he asked. 

Silence. 

_What?_

"Baby Bee, wasn't that the code name for the Rick I was supposed to eliminate?'' 

"Haha, nah...Baby Bee was the code name for a Morty I wanted to get rid of. Are you stupid or what, it's so obvious. But it doesn't matter if you didn't really know who it was, you didn't leave any witnesses, anyway, right?! " Tony asked again, with a bit more insistence this time. "You killed everybody, huh?! » 

Another silence. 

"Yes," Rick answered. 

"Good! " said Tony enthusiastically. " I'll transfer the money into your account. And no need to send me a photo of the body as you usually do. It'll kill my boner if I see a dead Morty. I'll send my men to clean up." 

For fuck's sake. He'd completely forgotten about the cleaning thing. If Tony sends his men to the place, they'll find out that Morty's body is missing. 

"Um, Tony, come to think of it, I can do the cleaning myself. You don't need to send your people. '' 

"You do the cleaning?! Stop messing with me. You hate it." he laughed, thinking it was a joke. 

"I insist, this is my way to apologize for my behavior this evening. I shouldn't have asked all those questions. "Rick said humbly. Tony was the kind of guy who liked to be flattered. Maybe it would work. It had to. 

'' ...'' 

Rick tightened his grip on his phone. If God wasn't pure bullshit, he might have said a prayer right then and there. 

"Okay" the mobster eventually said. "And don't forget to-" 

"Rule number four: No handprints, yeah, I know. Don't worry, I got this." Rick hung up on Tony. 

He put his phone back in his pocket and sighed as he turned around, fed up with this call. 

" Holy shit! " he swore as he came face to face with the boy... naked. "What the fuck are you doing ? Have you been like this the whole time I've been on the phone? " he said, turning his head. He couldn't help but take a quick glance, his gaze unwillingly drawn to _inappropriate places_ a man his age shouldn't look at a kid like him. Damn, he looked so fragile. 

"B-b-but you-you told me to take off m-my-wet clothes. " stammered the boy, squeezing his left arm. 

The sight of the kid, nervously shaking in the middle of his living room, wearing nothing but his white sneakers and socks, strangely twisted Rick's stomach. A shiver ran down his spine. It must have been the cold, he thought to himself, his clothes were soaked after all. 

Rick sighed. Again. He'd been sighing like this all night. 

" Goddamn it, go..." he didn't even know what to say"...go to the room and put on some clothes. Dresser, last drawer. Put on whatever you want, I don't care, just... just get fucking dressed." he says, massaging the bridge of his nose. 

Rick didn't even bother to look when the boy stumbled over his clothes on the floor before picking them up and running to the room. 

_Jesus, what was wrong with that kid?_

The hitman walked over to the couch and slumped over. He was exhausted. He just needed to get some rest. Tomorrow morning he had to get rid of the bodies and the Morty, he thought, as his eyelids slowly closed. 

*** 

His ears whistled, ringing with a piercing sound. He growled and opened his eyelids. A thick layer of dust floated in the air. He coughed as he turned on his back. All around him the other customers of the restaurant were shouting, wailing, and calling for help. 

He straightened up and frowned when a sharp pain went through his head. He came to touch the back of his neck. He was bleeding. His eyes quickly scanned the room. 

"Morty! "Rick cried, when he saw the boy lying further away. 

He rushed towards him, cutting his way through the debris. 

"Hey, Morty, can you hear me? Come on, get up, we can' t stay here," he said as he pulled the boy out of the rubble. 

"Um...R-Rick?" Morty mumbled, confused. "W-what happened? » 

"Those sons of bitches found us. Can you walk? » 

"Y-yes... yes, I-I think so. "said Morty as he stood up on his shaky legs. He looked rattled, but not seriously injured. Just a few scratches. 

"Okay, we've got to go, now! » 

*** 

**6 hours earlier**

Morty entered the room and closed the door. He leaned against it with his heart still throbbing and looked around searching for the commode. He found it, placed near the bed in the back of the room, and walked towards it. Laying his wet clothes on the floor, he squatted down and pulled out the last drawer. There was resistance, indicating that it hadn't been opened for a long time. Inside, Morty found a pile of meticulously folded clothes, all of them looking his size. The boy suddenly sneezed and, to avoid catching cold, quickly got dressed. Jeans and a sweater. A simple outfit, except that it was a little old school style. 

Morty picked up his wet clothes and left the room. 

The living room was still plunged in darkness and the only source of light was the city skylights visible through the bay window. The thunder roared. The boy stepped forward cautiously, watching out for the hitman. He saw him on the sofa when a bolt of lightning struck. He was sitting still, his head resting against the back of the sofa. 

The boy moved further forward until he was standing next to the old man. He was sleeping. Even asleep he seemed threatening, as if ready to attack at the slightest noise. 

Morty swallowed. 

What was he supposed to do ? He said he wouldn't kill him, but... should he believe him? The boy thought as he looked at the gun visible through the ajar of his jacket. Maybe this Rick was going to deliver him to someone else? Or maybe he was going to keep him locked up here with him?...at his mercy. 

Morty felt his whole body shake. _No, not_ _that_ _. Not_ _again_ _._

He turned his head and contemplated the front door. 

*** 

Rick woke up startled as usual. He grunted while massaging his neck, painful because of his bad posture. He straightened up on the couch and squinted his eyes when the morning light hit his retinas. 

Last night he had the same nightmare again. 

"I could never get a good night's sleep, huh..." he whispered to himself in a bitter tone as he massaged his temples. 

A faint noise resounded behind him. A sneeze. Rick jumped to his feet and pulled his gun out, finger on the trigger. 

He sighed as he put the gun away. Oh that's right...the boy. 

"Don't worry, I'm not gonna shoot you. I just forgot you were there," he said to the Morty who was curled up in the corner of the living room. If he hadn't made a noise, Rick probably wouldn't have noticed him in the room. He had almost no presence at all. 

The kid stood up, standing still, fiddling with his new sweater, not knowing what to say or do. He seemed even more tired than yesterday, as if he had been crouching there all night without sleeping. 

For some reason this kid made Rick uncomfortable. The way he looked like he was constantly waiting for an order and that expression on his face, as if he was about to cry at any moment... 

It was annoying. He really had to get rid of him. 

"Ok let's move" said the hitman as he walked towards the front door. He picked up his helmet from the floor and put his hand in the back pocket of his jeans to get his key and unlock the door.He turned his head, getting ready to call the boy once again since he hadn't heard him move. Rick was slightly startled when he saw him standing right next to him, his big brown eyes staring at him anxiously, waiting like a puppy. 

Shit, it was almost scary. 

Rick opened the door and they left. 

The Morty Academy was the best choice. Despite its prestigious name, this school was actually more a kind of orphanage where the Mortys received an education. Or more like a brainwashing on how to blindly obey their Rick. The registration was simple, and if you had any problems you could easily bribe the principal, Rick thought while climbing on his motorcycle. 

" Get on the bike," he said to the boy, putting on his helmet. "What are you waiting for, climb behind me!" He said annoyed as he saw the boy standing still. 

"Um... I-I-I-I'm afraid I might fall..." the boy whispered in a small voice. 

"What do you mean you're afraid of falling? You didn't fall yesterday when I brought you home, so why are you complaining now?" he said, aggressively starting his engine, which startled the boy. 

The boy's eyebrows arched upwards with sadness, or perhaps pity. 

Ok it was getting really annoying now, he didn't have time for that shit! 

"All right, just get in the fucking front then!" Grunted the hitman, grabbing the boy by his arm to force him up. The boy climbed clumsily and straddled the motorcycle, stuck between Rick and the handlebars. 

At least his small body wasn't a hindrance to driving, Rick note; his head barely reached his chin. 

Rick made the engine roar and drove off. 

*** 

The storm of yesterday gave place to a sunny sky. As always the citadel was in turmoil. Rick made his way through the heavy traffic, breaking the traffic laws. They arrived at their destination in a poor neighborhood. Rick drove into a small back alley and turned off his engine. He took off his helmet and climbed down while taking a quick look around to make sure no one was nearby. 

"Where-where are we?" the boy asked shyly, obviously not very reassured by the dirty place. In the distance we could hear the sirens of a police car passing by. 

"I have to visit an old friend to ask him a favor," said the hitman casually as he stowed his helmet in the trunk of his motorcycle. "Follow me." 

Rick approached an iron door. It looked like the kind of emergency door you find in the back of a store. He knocked and waited for a moment. The door opened and Rick found himself face to face with the barrel of a gun pointed at his forehead. 

Morty let out a little scream of terror and backed away. 

"It's me, you idiot," Rick said nonchalantly, moving the gun away from his face with a wave of his hand. 

The Rick who had pointed the gun at him lowered his weapon and widened his eyes, suddenly recognizing him. 

" Jesus fucking Christ! Rick G-77, if that's not a surprise. I thought you were dead this whole time. " the Rick exclaimed. 

"It's good to see you too, Mike," Rick said with a smile. 

"Damn, I haven't been called that since the army. Come on in, my friend!" 

They all went inside. 

"As you can see I'm not doing so bad, I've started my own small business and it's doing pretty well," said Mike, waving his arms and pointing to the place. His arms were waving a little too much for Rick's taste since he always had his gun in his hand. 

The place was a rather modest massage shop. There was a reception area and at the back private cabins for cares. It was nothing out of the ordinary. 

"And what's the name of your establishment ?" Rick asked while walking behind his friend. 

"The Mortyhands" answered Mike, taking a business card out of his pocket. Mike looked a bit ragged. He was topless with a wide-open red bathrobe and burgundy pajama pants. No color harmony. He looked like a classic Rick except for his long hair that he had tied up in a ponytail. He looked like he had just gotten out of bed, but something told Rick that this was his everyday outfit. 

Rick took the business card, looked at it with vague interest and then gave it to Morty to get rid of it, not even looking him in the eye. The boy grabbed it, surprised, and kept it preciously. 

"You're lucky today is a day off, I closed the store. We'll be able to talk in peace upstairs, that's where I live." 

The trio went upstairs and it was much better decorated. It was an open space loft with a large living room and an American kitchen. The decoration was nice, quite 70's with lava lamps everywhere. 

"Make yourself at home, go and sit down, I'll bring back the appetizer," Mike said as he walked towards the kitchen. 

"No need, I'm in a hurry, I won't stay lon-". 

"Oooh come on, let's celebrate our reunion, G-77!" Mike cut him off. 

Rick sighed and went to sit on the couch, closely followed by Morty. 

Suddenly, a high-pitched bark was heard and Rick lowered his head towards the little white Chihuahua at his feet. The animal was obviously not happy with his presence. 

"Oh a-a dog," said the boy as he crouched down. He reached out his hand, and, strangely enough, the dog stopped barking and started wagging its tail and licking Morty's hand. 

"Looks like Kiki likes you. Usually she hates my guests," Mike said as he returned. He put a tray on the coffee table and sat down on the opposite couch. 

Morty let out a childish laugh when the little dog jumped on him and licked his face. 

Rick frowned slightly. It was the first time he had ever seen him smile. 

"Help yourself," Mike said. 

"Are you serious right now?!" Rick replied as he looked at the tray full of cocaine and other drugs. 

"Well, that'll get us in the mood," Mike defended himself while rubbing his hands. "A little Molly?" he proposed to his two guests. 

Rick didn't even answer, rolling his eyes. Morty shook his head to decline politely. 

"Ok, that's more for me then!" cheered the host as he swallowed several pills. He went on to prepare a line of coke, which he snorted right off the table. 

"Wow, I feel better," Mike shouted as he leaned back on the couch. "Okay, so to what do I owe the honor of your visit, my dear friend? I guess you didn't come to see me just for me, am I wrong? "Mike asked, lighting a cigarette. 

"Yeah, I need you to do me a little favor." 

"Like what?" 

"Like could you give me one of your gadgets? I need a particle blaster. Something that doesn't leave a trace even on a CT scan." 

"A particle blaster?! That's not amateur stuff, it's not so easy to find on the market, you know." 

"I know, and that's why I came to see you. You've always been able to get the best products. Please do me this favor for old times' sake," Rick asked with a friendly look. 

Mike pulled out a cigarette latte and thought for a moment. 

"Okay," he finally said, "I have to have this in my stuff. But if you get caught with it, we don't know each other anymore. Usually that's reserved for the soldiers of the Ricks council. We're in big trouble if we get caught with a class C weapon." 

"I know, I know. I'll owe you one, buddy," Rick said satisfied. 

"Okay follow me, it's this way." Mike got up, followed by Rick. He guided him to his desk at the other end of the loft and pushed a hidden button. 

A section of the wall rose up like a curtain to make way for a high-tech military arsenal. 

"Fuck..." Rick breathed as he contemplated the weapons. "You've got good stuff" 

"I like to be well-equipped," Mike bragged proudly. "Here's your particle blaster. Careful, the trigger is sensitive," he said as he handed the gun to the hitman. 

It looked like a normal gun, only a little bigger and with a more futuristic design. 

"Perfect," says Rick as he tests the sight, one eye closed and the other scanning the room. A shot suddenly fired and disintegrated a lava lamp on the desk. 

Rick and Mike were startled at the same time. 

"Damn it, G-77, I told you the trigger was sensitive," Mike said in a high-pitched voice. "I almost shit my pants." 

"Yeah, sorry. The gun fired by itself." Rick put his new gun in the back of his pants. 

"And anyway, I was wondering..." said Mike with a shifty look, "you and the kid, you um...you know," he said, making an obscene gesture with his fingers to simulate intercourse. 

Rick turned his head towards the boy at the other end of the room who was sitting quietly on the floor by the couch petting the dog. 

"WHAT, NO!" he shouted, slapping his friend's fingers to stop the gesture. 

"Ah ok I see, you haven't done it yet. But has he already..." Mike mimed a blowjob. 

"Fucking stop that!" Rick hit Mike's hand again. "I haven't touched him yet, so shut the fuck up!" he yelled. He must have screamed louder than he expected because when he turned his head towards the boy, the boy was looking in their direction. Shit, did he hear that? Something in his eyes told him that he had heard but not understood. 

" Yet?" Mike said with a mischievous smile. 

"What?" 

"You said you hadn't touched him yet. Does that mean you're thinking about it?" 

Rick hadn't realized his lapsus. Shit. 

"Come on, don't play innocent. I saw the way you were looking at him. You can't stop staring at him every ten seconds. He looks just like him, you know. But I'm sure you've noticed that already, haven't you?! His freckles," Mike said, turning his head to Morty, "You even gave him his clothes". 

"I'd rather not talk about him. It's all in the past now, I've moved on," Rick says with a serious look on his face. 

Yes, of course he had noticed the resemblance. That's why he had hesitated to pull the trigger. His freckles all over his face...how come they were almost the same? 

"You're such a jerk, I'm leaving. Thanks for the gun," Rick said, turning his back and walking back to the living room. 

"Are you pouting G-77?" Mike laughed, feeling that Rick was a little embarrassed. 

"Morty, come on, let's go. Say goodbye to the dog" Rick froze for a moment when he realized that he had called the boy by his name for the first time. He took that thought out of his head and walked down the stairs. 

"Goodbye Kiki, goodbye M-Mike. "said Morty as he rushed behind Rick who was already gone. 

"Goodbye kiddo. It's been a pleasure, you can come back whenever you want," Mike said from the top of the stairs, his hands in the pockets of his bathrobe. "He's a really nice kid...don't fuck it up G-77..." he murmured. 

*** 

Rick pushed the door of apartment 47. A nasty smell of rotting flesh rose into the air and he coughed, placing his hand in front of his mouth. Shit, he had thought to bring gloves but not a mask. 

Stay here, I'll be back in a minute," he said to Morty as he entered the room and closed the door behind him. He took out a pair of blue latex gloves and put them on while he stared down at the first Rick he'd killed, the one in the Hawaiian shirt that looked awful. 

The sooner he finished cleaning up, the sooner he could get out of here. 

The advantage of the particle blaster is that it, as the name suggests, disintegrates every particle it is aimed at, including scents. 

Rick pointed the gun at Hawaiian shirt Rick and fired. The body disappeared in a flash, leaving no trace. Now he had a better understanding of why government soldiers owned this type of weapon. Convenient to get rid of political opponents. No body, no evidence. 

The hitman then took care of the other two Ricks who lay on the ground in a pool of dried blood. He went through the apartment, erasing the slightest clue: bullet casing, footprints, furniture broken in the fight, personal belongings of the Ricks... Everything had to disappear. 

Rick was almost finished. He only had one room left. He walked down the hallway and approached the very last room. The door opened with a squeak and he entered. 

Standing in the middle of the room, he stared intently at the closet in front of him. 

It was there that he had found a boy. He stretched out his arm, finger on the trigger. 

"W-wait!" 

Rick jumped up and turned around, pointing his gun on reflex. 

" F-Fuck, Morty, I almost pulverized you," Rick said as he lowered his gun, "I thought I told you to wait outside, what the hell are you doing here? ” 

"I...I-I-I just wanted to um..." he didn't finish the rest of his sentence and instead moved quickly to the closet and started to rummage through it. 

"What are you doing?" asked Rick, getting impatient as he watched the kid search more and more frantically. 

"Oh no, no, no...he-he-he was supposed to be there!" Morty panicked. 

"Hey, what's going on ?" Rick approached the boy. 

He grabbed his shoulder and gently pulled him away from the closet to see what he was up to. 

Morty burst into tears and stammered incomprehensible words. 

"Oh, calm down,Morty, calm down," Rick said. 

The boy suddenly crouched to the floor crying, his hands covering his face."Th-that was the only p-precious thing I had left," said Morty, his voice muffled in his sobs. 

Rick looked down at the boy, not quite understanding what he was talking about, then turned his head to the closet. 

"Is this what you were looking for?" 

Morty raised his head and opened his eyes in surprise when he saw the cap Rick was holding in his hands. 

The boy jumped on the hitman and hugged him. 

Rick stepped back slightly, confused. "What the hell is wrong with you," he said, grabbing the boy's sweater and pulling him away from him. The boy eventually let go and moved back, his eyes full of gratitude. 

"T-thank you!" Morty said as he got his cap back and held it tightly against his chest. 

Rick raised a puzzled eyebrow. All this fuss over a poor cap, he thought as he watched the boy put it on his head. 

Now that he was thinking about it, a flash of last night came back to his mind.It was the cap the boy was wearing when he found it in the closet. The cap wasn't particularly beautiful and made his head look bigger than it already was. Rick remembered that Morty wore this with an oversized sweatshirt with the sleeves dangling down from his hands and a little shorts that reached halfway up his thigh. When the hell did he remember all these details? 

"You're welcome..." Rick replied, "But next time don't...don't do this kind of thing without warning. 

What was disturbing was not so much the fact that the boy was hugging him because he had found his cap, but rather how quickly his attitude had changed. Rick had noticed the gradual changes. Although Morty still looked like an anxious little animal, it was evident that the boy was becoming more comfortable around him and less afraid than he had been at first. But why so quickly? Morty had only known him for barely a day. Something was telling him that this was not the boy's first trauma and that he must have developed some kind of Stockholm Syndrome-like defense mechanism or some bullshit like that. After all, he had still threatened him with a gun at point-blank range and kidnapped him. If anything, the boy could still think that he would end up killing him.All he had done was carry him around with him since this morning without explaining anything. All he had done was carry him around with him since this morning without explaining anything. Morty had every reason to run away. 

"What's so special about this cap?" Rick asked as he went back to cleaning up. 

"Um...it-it's a gift...a gift from someone who was dear to me," said the boy softly, wringing his arm. 

_Was_? thought the hitman as he watched the sad face of the kid in the corner of his eye. He probably shouldn't ask any more questions about it. 

_Yeah,_ _rule_ _number_ _two_ _,_ _remember_ _?!_

A slight awkwardness set in between them. The kind of discomfort that comes from stirring up the past. 

"Hey um...are you hungry?" Rick asked as he put the gun away after the job was done. He took a look at his watch: 1 p.m. 

"Uh n-no, I'm not that hungry," Morty said, shaking his head. "I don't have any money on me anyway, so..." At the same moment a huge gurgling sound came out of the boy's belly. 

Rick raised an eyebrow and stared at Morty's belly, then looked up at him. "Don't worry, it's my treat. Come on." 

"No b-but I assure you, I'm fine. I'm not very hungry, I don't-no need to pay me anything," the boy said, chasing after Rick, who had already left the room. 

*** 

Not that hungry, huh?! 

Rick smiled as he took a sip of soda while watching Morty gobble up his third burger like a starving dog. They had stopped at a fast-food restaurant downtown. 

"Hey, easy, you're going to choke on your food," Rick said in an amused tone. 

Morty looked up at him with his mouth full of his last bite. He stopped, then chewed more slowly, embarrassed. 

" You haven't been fed in three days or what?" Rick teased him. 

"Yes um...the Ricks who were detaining me didn't feed me...and I didn't dare ask..." said the boy in a small voice. 

Well, Rick didn't expect a serious answer. Shit, he felt like an idiot now. Of course the kid had been starving, just look at him, he was so frail. 

"Sorry... that's not what I meant, I-" 

"No, it's okay, don't worry about it. Thank you so much for the hum...the meal" Morty whispered with a shy smile. 

_Cute_. he thought as he saw the boy happy face. Rick stretched out his arm and wiped a ketchup stain from the corner of his lips with his thumb, which he then sucked on reflex. 

He froze, suddenly realizing what he had just done and slowly took his thumb out of his mouth with a pop sound. 

"Uh...I..." stammered the hitman, as he saw the boy's face turn red. 

As he searched for a coherent excuse, Rick saw something in his peripheral vision. He turned his head to the window facing the street and saw a black van slowing down. The door of the van opened sideways and a hooded guy pulled out a rocket launcher. 

"MORTY WATCH OUT!" Rick yelled. But before he could reach the boy, the restaurant blew up. 

* 

Morty opened his eyes and raised his head slightly, completely sounded. 

He heard his name shouting, then a silhouette approached him. 

"Hey, Morty, you hear me, get up, you can't just stand there." 

"Um...R-Rick?" Morty mumbled, confused. "W-what happened? "he asked as Rick pulled him out of the rubble. 

"That son of a bitch found us. Can you walk? » 

"Y-yes...yes I-I think so. "said Morty as he stood up on his shaky legs. 

"Okay, we' ve got to go, now! » 

"What do you mean he's found us? W-who is _he_? "asked the boy. 

"I'll explain later," Rick said, before muttering half to himself, "That bastard must have discovered the truth. He's got spies everywhere, I should have known he'd have me followed." 

As they made their way through the ruins, the boy almost threw up his lunch when he saw one of the waiters Morty crushed under a concrete block. 

"Don't look," Rick said, placing one hand in front of his eyes and guiding him. 

They exited through the back door into a small alley. 

"Shit, my bike... I parked it right in front of the fast food restaurant, it must have been caught in the explosion," Rick said, swearing between his teeth. 

"What truth are you talking about ?" Morty asked, confused. 

"Look, all you need to know is that someone wants you dead, okay. And until he finds you he's not gonna give up, trust me." 

"They're here!" a voice shouted behind them. At the far end of the alley was the hooded guy with a gun in his hand. He waved at his teammates out of sight to come over, then raised the barrel of his gun towards Rick and Morty. 

In a fraction of a second, the hitman pulled Morty against him for protection, pulled out his pulverizer and fired.The hooded guy was annihilated before he had even finished raising his gun. 

"Are you all right ?" Rick asked, lowering his head towards Morty, clutching his chest.The boy nodded. "Well, we're going to have to walk for a while. Come on, follow me," he said, grabbing the boy's hand. 

Rick and Morty fled into the city. 

**to be continued...**


	2. Chapter 2

"Boss, we have a problem!" said a Rick as he rushed into the office. 

A long annoying sigh echoed. The imposing chair behind the desk slowly swivelled three quarters to reveal Tony sitting on it, an arm on the armrest supporting his head. 

"What did I say about coming in without knocking, Happy? You know the rules don't you, what are they?" the mobster said in a falsely calm voice, his eyes fixed down under his desk. 

"Uh...never-never enter the boss's office without knocking," said Happy. "But boss it''s-" 

"And I've also told you to take off that stupid hood whenever you come here, it scares the kids," Tony cut him off with a frown. 

The Rick hastily removed his hood, revealing a ugly scar on his left cheek. It started at the corner of his lip and stretched almost to his ear. 

Happy glanced briefly at the two Mortys sitting on the next couch, who stared at him defiantly. 

"Sorry boss, it won't happen ag-" 

"Well then spit it out, what's the big deal ?" the mobster cut him off again. 

"It's about G-77 boss, he escaped us and managed to sneak away with the target." 

" HE WHAT !?" Tony snapped loudly, banging his fist on the table. He gave his henchman an angry look. 

Happy and the two Mortys were startled. 

"But we did what you said boss, we used all the means we had and we blew up the fast food place they were in, but-" 

"Bunch of morons. Using all the means available didn't mean blowing up a fucking Wendys!Arhg shit, you're giving me migraines with your incompetence" grunted Tony while massaging his temples "Okay, that's enough baby, daddy's boner is gone, we'll continue later" he said, lowering his head again. 

A wet pop sounded and a Morty appeared from under the desk, straightening up between Tony's thighs. 

So that's where the third one was. 

Happy cleared his throat and turned his head, slightly uncomfortable. 

"Go to your rooms, boys," ordered the mobster. 

The three Mortys obeyed and Happy couldn't help but take a discreet look at the third one who still had a bit of saliva on the corners of his mouth. To his great surprise the boy looked at him and smiled, they exchanged a knowing glance for a few seconds before the boy disappeared behind the door. 

Happy turned his head back towards Tony and swallowed as he crossed his cold eyes to go back and forth between him and the Morty he had just watched. He had noticed. 

There was a knock on the door and another Rick entered the office. 

"Boss, we checked G 77's apartment like you asked and we didn't find much except for some Morty-size clothes that were still wet, which proves that he did bring the target home last night." Said the Rick who had just returned, brandishing a bag containing the said clothes. 

"G-77, that bastard, he took the money without doing the job. It felt weird that he wanted to do the cleanup himself. And to think that I trusted him," Tony grumbled, biting his fist in rage. "Happy, which way did they run away? Did you send some guys after them?" 

"N-no.We don't know where they went. One of our guys saw them in an alley, but by the time we rushed to the location they'd already fled and our teammate was gone." 

"The poor man, peace be upon his soul," said Tony in a spiteful tone, "You've picked up his body I hope? I don't want the police getting any more involved because of a corpse in an alley. I already have to bribe the chief of police to shut his mouth about the fast-food explosion." 

"There's no body, boss," says Happy. "That's what I'm saying, he disappeared." 

"What do you mean there's no body? There's always a body. You expect me to believe that G-77 snapped its fingers and one of my men vanished?! And don't tell me it's a portal gun, because I would have known otherwise, I've got my eye on the traffic of all the portal guns in the citadel. So my question is..." Tony got up from his chair and put his hands flat against the desk "how did G-77 make one of my men disappear?" 

Silence. 

"He--he may have gotten a special weapon on the black market, boss. A weapon that can make anything disappear, like a particle pulveriz-" 

"Bullshit! He would never have been able to get a class-C weapon on the black market. I control the black market! If even I can't find one, then how did he get it, huh? Get me G-77 and Baby Bee, you bunch of scumbags, and bring me that weapon, that's an order! " shouted Tony. 

"Got it!" the two Ricks said in their hearts. 

"Oh and Happy..." said the Mobster, sitting back, his voice calm and his eyes black. "If you don't want another scar... don't you ever laid eyes on my Mortys again." 

*** 

"Mike opens it's me ! Mike!"Rick hammered the iron door until it opened. 

"If it's for drugs I already said I don't have any so- G-77!? "Mike exclaimed when he saw his friend on the doorstep, covered in scratches, dust and sweat. 

"We're in trouble. Can we stay at your place for a while?" said Rick as he entered without waiting for an answer. 

* 

"So you're telling me that hooded guys blew up the Wendy's you were in, you survived, killed a bad guy in an alley and then ran away and walked across half the citadel to my house ?!" Mike breathed as he paced through the living room getting agitated. 

Rick, sitting on the couch finished disinfecting the wound he had on his head. 

"Yeah that's right, except it wasn't a Wendy's." He said, closing the first aid box on the coffee table. 

"Okay but, who are these guys and why are they trying to kill you?" Mike asked. 

"They want to kill me because I...because I didn't kill the kid," Rick explained, pointing vaguely at Moty, clearly uncomfortable to talk about this in front of him. 

"Wow, what? You had to kill that boy ? Damn it, G-77, what kind of work do you do ?" 

Rick sighed. "I've been a Hitman for about six months and I um... I had to do a job for a mobster named Tony. Eliminate Baby Bee. But the bastard didn't tell me it was a Morty. I never killed a Morty...I never even asked myself what I would do if I had to." 

"Wait a minute, did you say Tony ?" Mike said, stopping pacing back and forth. "Are you talking about Tony D Montana ?" 

"Yeah, why, do you know him?" Rick asked, without understanding, raising an eyebrow. 

"Everybody knows Tony, he's-he's like one of the most feared mafia guys in the whole Citadel. He has a reputation of never leaving a witness after his crimes. This guy's a complete psychopath, and you work for him?!" 

"What do you want me to say, I' ve got to pay my bills Mike!" Rick said, annoyed, and stood up " But could we talk about this later. In case you haven't noticed, Morty and I had a pretty shitty day and we'd like to get some rest." 

Although it was not that late, night had already fallen. He and the boy had walked the rest of the afternoon to Mike's house, avoiding as much as possible the places covered by the city's cameras. They really needed some rest. 

Mike would have retorted to his friend, but his eyes turned to the kid sitting on the couch, still covered in dust and looking exhausted. 

"Yeah...we'll talk about this later" he capitulated, "Why don't you go take a shower, I'll cook us something to eat." 

"Yeah, okay..." Rick whispered. He turned his head towards Morty. The boy stared at the floor. He seemed to be somewhere else. " Are you okay? " he asked him. 

"Huh..." Morty raised his head as if he'd gotten out of his thoughts. "Um, yeah, I'm okay." 

"All right, I'm going to take a quick shower. You just go eat with Mike in the meantime." 

"O-okay." 

* 

Morty wiped the fog from the mirror with his hand. That shower really did him good. His aches and pains had subsided with the warmth of the water. The boy put his towel on his head and rubbed his wet hair. He put 

on a t-shirt that Mike had lent him as pyjamas, which was too big for him of course. 

Morty was about to put his towel in the laundry basket when he saw Rick's clothes on top. Something caught his eye. A small piece of paper was sticking out of his black jacket pocket. Curious, Morty pulled it gently out of the pocket and carefully unfolded it.It was a picture and the boy opened his eyes in awe as he watched the Morty on the picture. He had the same freckles as he did. It was a shot taken in a photo booth. He was smiling. He looked happy. 

The boy's amazement gave way to sadness. The more he looked at the picture, the more he had this feeling of emptiness inside his chest. 

There was a knock on the door. Morty flinched and hastened to put the photo back in its place. 

"Y-yes?" 

"It's me, Rick, I just wanted to tell you that-" 

Morty opened the door and Rick stopped halfway through, his gaze dropped to the boy's legs. He couldn't stop staring at his thighs half covered by the oversized T-shirt. Or rather half exposed. 

"Um...Mike said all that you can sleep in his bed. He put clean sheets on for you," Rick continued, forcing himself to look away. 

"W-where's he going to sleep then?" 

"Don't worry about him, he'll sleep on the couch. He just took some mushrooms right now and I think he's knocked out." 

"Okay...a-and what about you?" Asked the boy. 

"I guess I'll have to share the couch with him," Rick said with a slight smile. 

Morty smiled back at him and then there was a silence between them. 

" Hum..." Rick massaged the back of his neck. "Tomorrow morning I'll take you to the Mortys' academy. Once there I'm sure you'll be safe among the other Mortys. It's a very secure establishment, no one will be able to hurt you anymore." 

"Yes b-but what are you going to do ? Tony's men are still after you," Morty said worriedly. 

"I'll figure it out." 

"But..." 

"You don't have to worry about that, Morty. I'll make sure Tony's no longer a threat to anyone," said the Hitman, as he looked at him in the eyes."Well it's time to go to bed, it's been a long day. Good night" concluded Rick as he walked away towards the living room. 

"' Wait Rick!'' shouted the boy, grabbing a piece of his jogging pants, loaned by Mike, to hold him back. 

" What?" he said. 

"I...um...I wanted to tell you that um..." Morty lowered his head as he felt his cheeks turn red "N-nothing, good night!" he let go and ran away to Mike's room, leaving Rick alone. 

* 

Rick couldn't sleep. He was lying there on the couch, contemplating the darkness. Questions were popping into his mind and he didn't know how to answer them. So much had happened since this morning. In just one day his whole life had been shattered. Well...if you could call it a life. One question in particular was running through his head: Why did Tony want to eliminate Morty? No matter how hard he searched, he couldn't see how the boy could be a threat to anyone. The kid was the most harmless and fragile thing he had ever seen. 

Shit, he couldn't get the kid out of his head. 

Rick sighed, massaging the base of his nose. He needed a smoke. 

The hit man stood up silently and walked to the bathroom where he had left his clothes. He turned on the light and grabbed his jacket, rummaging through his pocket to get his pack of cigarettes. Something fell on the floor. Shit his picture. 

He quickly bent down to pick it up. Something was wrong. Rick frowned slightly, without thinking too much about it. He lit a cigarette and turned off the light. In the dark, only the glowing end of his cig was visible. He took a puff of nicotine and exhaled the smoke slowly and with it, hopefully, his unwanted thoughts. 

A small muffled noise resounded in the silent apartment. Another one. Rick listened. It sounded like whines. The hitman followed the noises to Mike's room. He pushed the door ajar. The sound became more distinct...it was crying. He took a few steps forward and saw a strange, deformed shape in the dark in a corner of the room. 

He turned on the light and the deformed shape in the corner turned out to be Morty wrapped in a sheet. 

"Morty?" Rick said as he approached. 

The boy raised his head towards him, his eyes red and watery, his nose running and dark circles under his eyes. The hitman's gaze softened. 

"What are you doing here? You should be asleep," he says, taking a casual tone. He crouched and sat down next to the boy with a growl. 

Leaning against the wall, Rick held his cigarette to his mouth and pulled a latte while looking ahead. 

"So...are you going to tell me what's going on?" Rick asked after a moment as he glanced at the boy. 

Morty sniffed without saying a word. 

"Okay, I' m fine with the awkward silence too," Rick joked to lighten the mood, but the boy didn't seem receptive. He took another puff of nicotine to give himself courage. "Was it you who touched the picture in my jacket?" he suddenly asked. 

Rick felt Morty tense. It was a yes. 

"H-how did you know?" the boy asked in a hoarse little voice, looking at him with guilty eyes. 

"I always fold it in four, not in half," he said. 

" Sor-sorry..." the boy breathed, probably ashamed of being caught red-handed.There was a short silence before he hesitantly added, "Is that your Morty?" 

Rick sighed deeply, making his cigarette dance between his fingers. He had opened the subject, now he had to assume. 

"Yeah... he' s my Morty yeah," he said, trying not to show anything on his face. The sad tone of his voice, though, betrayed him. 

"And where is he?" the boy continued innocently, wiping his wet face with his sheet. He had stopped crying and seemed much more relaxed now that they were starting a conversation. 

Damn kids and their questions. Rick thought, already regretting bringing up the subject. 

"Dead," said the Hitman abruptly. He looked forward, knowing full well that if he turned his head he would meet Morty's sorry gaze. He didn't want his pity. That won't change the situation. "Fucking leukemia," Rick continued with a bitter laugh. "Like most Ricks, I went back to live with Beth. It was nice...to have a family again. I was immediately struck by his distinctive feature... his freckles. It wasn't much, but that's what made him unique to me. I loved spending time with him, even if sometimes I didn't show it to him. His very presence relaxed me. He made me forget what an acholic bastard I was.I liked the way he wrinkled his nose when he laughed. He was the kind of little thing that filled me with a sense of bliss as a grandfather. But then I...I started to feel something else for him. Something stronger. Today I tell myself that if we could have both escaped to the citadel, none of this would have happened. But we weren't at the citadel. We were on earth, and on earth I wasn't supposed to feel that type of feeling for my grandson. Beth found out and it all became so fucked up. I chose to leave rather than face the situation. I made my life at the citadel, I thought it would be better like that...better for him. But after seeing all those Mortys, it was hard for me not to think about him again. So one day I returned to my dimension and that's when I heard the news. A cancer... it had to be a fucking cancer. If I had been there he would have...he would still be with us. I abandoned him and he died. Sometimes I think that if I ended up becoming a Hitman it was just to vent my anger. I kill other Ricks not to shoot myself." 

Rick took one last blast from his cigarette and exhaled with a breath that implied both shit I talked too much, and it felt fucking good to get it out of my system. 

"Me too...m-my Rick's dead too," Morty said suddenly after a long silence of empathy took place. "I used to live in my dimension. But...my parents weren't really nice people, they used to beat me. My Rick got me out of there and we went to live at the Citadel. He worked a lot so we could--could have a better life b-but he ended up working for the wrong people. He was a programmer. And one day he got a big contract to work for...Tony. He-he was just in charge of hacking into databases, that kind of thing, so that Tony would have informations that would give him an advantage in his business. I liked to accompany my Rick to his work. He'd go to Tony's place, and-and I'd have fun walking around his villa. B-But one day I unintentionally stumbled upon one of his conversations and heard something very confidential. He was talking about a list with names of people who had witnessed his criminal activities and whom he would like to eliminate. That could be evidence to arrest him and put him in jail. So he sent men to kill me. My Rick defended me and was killed by them instead of me, I managed to escape but I was captured by another rival mob gang, the ones from apartment 47. They too coveted the list, they wanted to use it against Tony. It's all my fault, I should never have been there." Morty sighed as tears rolled down his cheeks. " See, you and I are a lot alike, we both lost someone we love. That makes us something in common," the boy added with a sad smile. 

Rick and Morty looked at each other for a moment, their hearts heavy from their confession. 

"' Shit...fucking Tony. You don't deserve what happened to you," Rick said, raising one hand to the boy's face. He gently pushed a lock of his brown hair back. 

" You look so much like him..." he whispered as he stroked the boy's freckles with his hand. His gaze dropped further down... to his lips. In a reflex he leaned forward and kissed Morty. 

Rick froze and, realizing what he had just done, moved backwards quickly. 

" Shit, Morty I... sorry I should never have- what the fuck was I thinking," the hitman cursed as he rose to his feet in a hurry. He ran a hand through his hair, nervously."Um...I'd better go back to sleep," he said hastily as he walked to the door. 

Rick was stopped in the middle of the movement when the boy hugged him from behind. 

"Morty...let go of me," the hit man whispered. 

"N-no, stay...please stay with me. I don't want to be alone." 

Rick turned to face the boy. 

"I made a mistake. We shouldn't do this and you know it," Rick said, looking down at the boy, knowing full well how it would end if they continued like this. 

_Rule_ _number_ _three_ _: Don't_ _touch_ _the body._

In response, Morty tiptoed up and pulled the collar off Rick's shirt. Their lips touched. Morty started to move them first, awkwardly. 

Damn it! Rick thought following the movement, tasting the boy's lips as his blood flowed dangerously below his waist. 

"Morty..." Rick breathed between two increasingly ardent kisses. He wrapped his arms around the boy's waist, gluing their two bodies together. His hands slide down on their own, running down the boy's back over his oversized T-shirt. They went down and down and down and down and down and down and down, and then they froze. Rick grunted against Morty's lips when he surprisingly noticed that the boy wasn't wearing any underwear. He broke off their kiss and looked into his eyes with lust. 

"I-it's just that I-my clothes were dirty and Mike didn't have any underwear my size so..." Morty felt compelled to explain, blushing. 

Rick said nothing and grabbed the boy's ass firmly with excitement, probably leaving marks on his skin. Fuck, What the hell was he doing? 

_Rule_ _number_ _four : No_ _fingerprints_ _._

The hitman made the boy move backwards until he fell on the edge of the bed behind them. He climbed over him. "Hey listen..." he said in a serious tone as he put a hand on his thigh "We can always stop there if-" 

"I don't want to stop," said the boy firmly, and Rick noticed that he didn't stutter for once. 

The boy was confident.Shit, Rick wasn't so sure anymore. Did they really should keep going? Weren't they just making a huge mistake to compensate for their emotional distress? Was it really desire or just a coping mechanism? 

"I've always felt empty inside," says Morty as he puts his little hand on Rick's cheek, "I know I'm useless and that my existence is worthless, my mother used to tell me that a lot. The only person who cared about me was my Rick and because of me he-he's dead now. I deserved to die the night you found me, and I was even willing to accept my fate b-but... yet... I'm still glad I'm alive. I know it's silly, but I felt like I mattered again. So I wanted to say thank you. Thank you for sparing me Rick." 

Rick covered the boy's hand with his own. "You don't deserve to die, Morty, and certainly not like this. No Morty does." He bent down and kissed the boy again, sliding his hand along his warm, milky skin on the inside of his thigh. 

Morty groaned and lifted his pelvis slightly to the touch, pressing it against Rick's crotch. He could feel his erect penis through his jogging pants. 

They broke off their kiss and looked into each other's eyes for a moment in the dim light of the room as a rush of adrenaline hit them. Rick got out of bed for a moment under Morty's confused gaze. The light went on and the Hitman returned, crawling over the boy again. Rick took off his shirt and tossed it across the room, revealing his thin, muscular torso. The boy contemplated him and gently ran his little fingers over the many scars that ran across his skin, with empathy. He, too, straightened himself up, getting on his knees facing Rick. Slowly, he grabbed the sides of his oversized T-shirt and pulled it over his head. Rick clenched his jaw when he saw the boy's body strewn with characteristic marks of domestic violence. He also followed the movement and took off his jogging pants. 

They were now completely naked. 

Their hands wandered over their skins, discovering each other's bodies. Rick laid Morty on his back. They kissed, caressed each other, neck, chest, nipples, belly, thighs. It was soft, intimate, delicate. 

Rick finally put his hand on Morty's private parts. Tenderly he palpated his small testicles with his fingertips, observing his every reaction. He moved his index finger up his penis to his tip and teased it, sending shivers all over the boy's body. 

"You like it..." he said in a deep voice. He couldn't take his eyes off Morty's face, red and already slightly sweaty. 

The boy nodded his head in response and Rick grabbed his penis as he began a slow back and forth. 

Morty arched his back and closed his eyes, biting his lower lip. He could already feel the pleasure building as Rick accelerated his movement. 

"You're so cute," Rick whispered in Morty's ear as he sucked his earlobe. He then hammered his cheeks with a series of kisses as if he wanted to kiss each of his freckles. The boy laughed at the tickling, and Rick moved down to his chest, licking his little nipples on the way, and caressing his soft belly before reaching his crotch. Morty's childish laughter soon gave way to moans of pleasure again as Rick spread his thighs and bury his head to gobble up his balls like two little candies. 

"R-Rick...ghnn" Morty slipped his hand through the hit man's hair and grasped on to it when he felt the tip of his tongue move up to his glans in small circular motions. He swallowed his cock without any difficulty, licking and sucking it greedily. 

The boy gasped louder and louder and crumpled the sheets as several rushs of pleasure ran down his spine. Everything Rick was doing with his tongue was literally bliss. 

The hitman suddenly stopped and Morty lowered his head towards him with a frustrated groan. 

"I can't wait any longer...I want you so badly," Rick whispered as he approached to kiss the boy, and Morty felt his huge cock against his belly. He was dripping wet. 

Rick leaned to the right towards the bedside table and rummaged through the drawer. 

"Come on, damn it...there must be some condoms or lube," he said irritated when he found nothing. 

"Um...Rick i-it's okay you know, I can...we can do it raw," the boy suggested. 

"What? No, I might hurt you..." he said with a frown. 

Rick may have taken a worried tone, but Morty had noticed the way his dick flinched with excitement the moment he uttered ''raw''. 

"It's your first time, I don't want it to be painf-" 

Rick was cut when Morty gently put one hand on his torso and forced him to lie down on his back. 

" This-this isn't my first time..." whispered the boy as he straddled Rick. 

The hitman froze. He didn't know if he was more stunned by the fact that the boy wasn't a virgin, wanted to do it dry or decided to ride him. Probably all three at the same time. 

"O-okay..." said Rick, not knowing what else to respond, already too busy contemplating the boy's half-open thighs. 

Morty blushed and his heart pounded as he lowered his head. 

Rick's dick was huge, almost intimidating. 

The boy took it shyly in his hand, glancing a few times at Rick to gauge his reaction. Rick grunted with pleasure and tenderly caressed one of his thighs to encourage him to continue. 

Not only was Rick's cock impressive by its length and thickness, but it was also really heavy. Morty finally held it in both hands, his gaze slightly fascinated as he weighed it down. 

"Are you having fun?" Rick said with a teasing look, watching the boy manipulate his sex as if it was a UFO. He was more playing with it like a kid rather than giving him an actual handjob. 

Morty blushed further and stammered a few words. 

"Do you want to um... give it a try?" Rick asked, putting his hands on the boy's hips. The boy nodded his head shyly, then raised his hips to stand over his penis. Rick quickly took his erect cock in his hand and held it in place, his heart beating hard and his arousal suddenly skyrocketed. 

Morty bit his lip and carefully lowered himself down. A small moan slipped out of his mouth as Rick's tip touched his opening and slowly slid in. 

"That's it...slowly..." Rick whispered as his sex was gradually being swallowed by the soft warmth of Morty's sweet ass. It was coming in easier than he thought.The boy had already reached almost half his cock without too much difficulty. 

Morty uttered a cute little growl and put both hands flat against Rick's belly for support. He started moving his hips. Slow, sensual and gentle movements to get him started and allow him to adjust to the man's sex. 

"Gnnh...fuck" grunted Rick as the pleasure gradually increased. The kid's ass was really tight. He clenched his jaw and tightened his grip on Morty's hips, and also began to move in rhythm with the boy's. 

Their breaths became more intense and soon the sounds of slamming flesh filled the room as the pace increased. 

Even though Morty set the rhythm at first, Rick quickly took over by holding the boy's hips at a certain height and moving back and forth up and down. 

The hitman's eyes were yo-yoing between the sight of his dick penetrating the boy's tiny ass and his red and sweaty face overwhelmed with pleasure. 

Morty was moaning and he was moaning hard. 

Every time he thrust himself deep inside, the boy couldn't help but utter high-pitched little cries. 

Rick caressed Morty's spotted cheek, running his hand over his wet forehead and through his brown curls. 

"Anhh...R-Rick...yes..." moaned the boy, as Rick suddenly slowed the pace.His tail was deep inside him all the way down and he was making slow wiggling movements with his hips, sending a powerful shiver of pleasure throughout Morty's body. 

The boy gasped loudly and squeezed his thighs as the pleasure rose dangerously. 

Rick bit his lip and growled as Morty digged his nails into his skin. The boy was clearly on the verge of orgasm from the way his rectum muscles were shaking around his cock. It was so cute to see him so intoxicated with pleasure. 

Morty put one hand over his mouth and closed his eyes as Rick's tip rubbed deliciously against his prostate. His whole body shook violently and he let out a choking moan between his fingers while his little cock twitched and dripped with semen. 

Rick smiled and stopped his movement as he watched the boy slowly calm down. 

"Sorry...I couldn't hold it back," Morty said as he pulled his hand away after a while. He had his handprints around his mouth, as he had pressed them so hard. 

"Sorry for what? You don't have to apologize for that, baby," Rick replied, gently pinching his cheek. 

The boy flushed at the nickname and shyly smiled. He slowly lifted his hips and grunted a little as Rick's huge still erect penis slipped out of him. 

This simple movement required energy that he no longer had and his trembling thighs gave way. Morty dropped right on top of Rick's penis.The man's sex was not in, but rather crushed under the boy's booty. 

Rick moaned. 

"P-pardon!" shouted the boy, thinking he'd hurt him. 

"N-no, don't worry, it's okay. Can y-you can do it again?" 

" You want me to crush your p-penis?" Morty repeated, a little confused. 

"Um...Yeah..." Rick whispered. Put it that way, it did sound a bit kinky. 

Morty didn't seem to fully understand Rick's request, but he did it anyway. He straightened up slightly on his knees, and, as before, let himself fall back on Rick's cock. The hit man growled and bit his lips. 

"Yeah, like that...m-move a little...right there" Rick said, grabbing the boy's hips to guide him. Morty followed the movement and rubbed himself against him, his little testicles sliding along his wet dick. 

His fingers pressed harder against the boy's hips, marking his skin. The pleasure was increasing and Rick closed his eyes for a moment to enjoy every second of it. Damn, Morty's skin was soft against his dick. 

When the hit man opened his eyes again he knew he was about to come as he met the boy's gaze. His big brown eyes staring at him intensely. 

"Ahrgn...damn it...shit..." Rick whispered in a hoarse voice. His muscles tightened and a gush of sperm spurted out of his penis, spreading across his belly and between the boy's thighs.He rubbed himself against Morty a few more times as the spasms of pleasure ran through his body. The feeling faded and his muscles finally relaxed, his hands loosening their grip on the boy's hips. 

Rick looked at the red marks he had left and then shifted his gaze to Morty. 

Both looked at each other for a moment in silence, their breathing still a little panting, exhausted. They didn't really know what to say or who to do, so Rick ended up gently pulling Morty towards him to snuggle in his arms.Morty lazily caressed Rick's torso, and Rick played in the boy's curls. They stayed like that, glued to each other as they stared into the emptiness. 

Tomorrow will be the day of farewell. Morty will go to the Mortys Academy and Rick will go on with his life. For now they preferred not to think about it too much and just enjoy the moment. But they didn't know yet how they were going to handle it. 

Maybe they had made a mistake after all. 

_Rule_ _number_ _five : If_ _you_ _fuck up,_ _you_ _deal_ _with_ _it_ _._

*** 

"You thought you could fuck me so easily, didn't you, G-77?!" says Tony, with a threatening smile. 

" Let go of the kid, Tony..." Rick grunted, pointing his gun at the mobster who was holding Morty hostage with a gun. 

"Not until you give me the pulverizer. And don't you dare mess with me or I' ll shoot him dead." Tony pressed the barrel of his gun harder against the boy's temple, and the boy cried out in terror as more tears ran down his spotted cheeks. 

Rick clenched his jaw. It was impossible for him to shoot Tony since he was using the boy as a human shield. Even with his accuracy there was a small chance that Morty would be hit, and that was not an option. On the other hand, if he obeyed Tony and handed him the particle blaster, he could be sure that the mobster would kill them the next second. 

Goddamn it, he was trapped! 

*** 

**3** **hours** **earlier**

"Hi, handsome," Mike said as Rick entered the living room. " Do you want some coffee ?" 

"Mm-hmm, yeah, sure," yawned the Hitman, scratching the back of his head. He sat at the kitchen counter. 

"So, are you still going to take the kid to the Mortys Academy?" Mike asked, putting a cup of coffee in front of him. He took a spliff out of the pocket of his bathrobe and lit it. 

Rick took a sip of coffee, as if to give himself time to think. "Yeah...I think it's the right thing to do." 

Mike nodded, comprehensive, and then his eyes were drawn to Morty, who walked into the living room. 

"Good morning..." said the boy in a small voice as he gave Rick a shy glance. He was showered and had put on his clothes from the day before, which were now clean. 

"Hello," replied the hit man, staring instantly at the boy before looking away. He cleared his throat and took another sip of coffee. 

Mike maliciously observed the slight uneasiness that settled between Rick and Morty. 

"Judging by your attitude, I guess you're regretting fucking last night, aren't you?" he said after a silence. 

Rick spit out his coffee and Morty turned tomato red. 

" You-you heard us?! I thought you were wasted yesterday," Rick coughed. 

"I didn't hear anything.But when I woke up this morning and found you two sleeping naked in the same bed, I quickly put two and two together," Mike laughed, pulling a slat out of his joint. 

"Oh..." Rick whispered. Yeah, he hadn't thought about that detail. 

" Ooh, come on, don't make those faces. I won't tell your parents," Mike joked, seeing the embarrassment on Rick and Morty faces. "There was lube and condoms under the bed in a shoe box, I hope you found it ?!" 

"Why would you put your condoms under your bed?" Rick said, visibly annoyed by this information. 

"So, you didn't find them...does that mean you had dry sex?" Mike asked, shifting his gaze between Rick and Morty. 

Rick glanced at the boy who now seemed extremely uncomfortable. 

"Shut up, Mike," said the man. He got up and left the room claiming he was going to take a shower. 

* 

Warm water ran down the back of Rick's neck as he stared at the shower floor, both hands flat on the wall. 

It was definitely weird between them. Shit, he knew it was a fucking mistake all along...and yet he still gave in. Yeah ok, last night was pretty good.It felt fucking divine even. But it was still a huge fucking mistake. 

Sleeping with the kid he was supposed to eliminate...what kind of perverse scenario was that?! And to think that the kid had consented to it. If that wasn't fucking Stockholm syndrome... 

What was he supposed to do now? He might have said otherwise, but now he wasn't so sure he wanted to place Morty at the academy. He didn't want to. 

It's not about what you want, it's about what's best for the kid! 

Rick sighed and turned off the water. He went outside and dried off before putting on his clothes from yesterday. He looked in the mirror for a moment. He looked tired, both physically and mentally. The dark circles under his eyes had deepened. His wet hair was falling back a bit in front of his eyes, at eyebrow level. Unlike the classic Ricks, his hair was smooth, and he wore it slicked back most of the time. Now that he was thinking about it, he had adopted this style when he started this job as a hit man. It was Tony's advice. He said that the spikes were too classic and shaving heads was good for soldiers. 

Rick didn't like what he saw in the reflection. 

He opened a few cupboards in the bathroom and ended up taking out a hair clipper. It turned on by vibrating in his hands. Slowly, he passed it over the side of his skull, creating a gradient all around. Rick watched his hair gradually fall out as his cut defined his face. When he was finished, he turned off the hair clipper and looked at himself as he ran his hand through his hair. He had kept volume on top and cut the sides in gradations. It made him look a lot younger. His face seemed even more outlined. 

Rick wondered for a brief moment if Morty would like his new haircut. Then he remembers a flash of the boy grabbing his hair...when he had sucked his little di- 

A huge noise suddenly hit and the walls of the apartment shook slightly. It sounded like an explosion. Then Rick heard a scream and gunshots. 

_MORTY !_

The hitman rushed out of the bathroom. 

*** 

"Hold him! Tie him up!" grunted a hooded guy as he grabbed the boy by the hair. 

Morty struggled in the hands of his attackers, but he was clearly no match for the Ricks. One of them slammed his head violently against the floor of the van while another tied his arms. A third was driving. 

"What the hell did you guys do! The boss said to kill everyone, why did you bring the kid here?" shouted the driver. 

"We had a problem, the Rick the boss said to kill, G-77, he wasn't there. There was another Rick instead, a guy in a bathrobe. He almost killed us, but we got that son of a bitch," said one of the kidnappers. 

"Are you sure G-77 wasn't there? Have you searched everywhere?" asked the driver. 

"Well...um, we didn't have much time to look around, the guy in the bathrobe was shooting at us, so we panicked and took off, snatching the kid. ” 

"You fucking morons, that wasn't the plan!" 

"What do we do then? Shall we shoot the kid?" asked one of the Ricks as he pulled out his gun. 

Morty screamed in horror as he begged and agitated. 

"No, you idiot, we don't shoot the kid, maybe he knows where G-77 and the gun Boss wants so badly," said the driver. 

"Fuck, all this for a Morty and a damn gun," the Rick grumbled as he put his gun away. 

"It's not just a gun, dumbass. It's a Pulverizer, a C-class weapon, the boss told me that." 

"A particle blaster ? I've heard that at full power this thing could literally destroy an entire neighborhood." 

"Exactly." said the driver. "If the boss gets it, he'll be sure to be the most powerful mobster in the whole citadel. This weapon is the equivalent of a nuclear deterrent, nobody will stand in the way of the boss anymore. And this kid may be the only one who knows where the weapon is." 

Morty's whole body began to shake with terror when all eyes fell on him, cold and cruel. 

*** 

Crouching down, Rick sadly contemplated Mike's body lying on the ground. The gun he had tried to shoot back with to protect Morty was still in his hand. He had been shot three times in the chest. His bathrobe was slowly becoming bloody. 

Rick put his trembling hand on his friend's face and closed his eyelids. 

He slowly straightened up as his breathing quickened and the rage built up inside him. 

He clenched his fists hard and then turned his head to the secret wall where Mike was storing his heavy artillery. 

If it was the pulverizer they wanted then they were about to get it! 

**to be continued...**

****


	3. Chapter 3

***

" Okay ,  you two wait here .  I'm going to  warn the boss,"  said the driver Rick as  he got out of the van. 

" Okay , and,  um , do  we untie the kid  or? "  asked one of the Kidnapper  Ricks . 

" I  don't give a  shit! Untie him if  you want , but  keep an  eye on  him though ." 

Both kidnappers nodded and the driver Rick  left . 

Morty was dragged into a  small room. He  didn't know  where he was , but  figured it must  be one of  Tony's villas. 

" Sit your ass down  here ,"  said one of the  Ricks after untying Morty . The boy  fell to the  ground and  then sat up and  backed up as  much as possible like a  frightened animal. 

He  leaned against a wall ,  terrified , and  waited ... 

Several minutes  passed . 

The  two Ricks chatted sitting on  two chairs  around a  small table,  looking at  Morty from time to time,  until they had nothing more to  say to  each other .

"You know  what I'm thinking about right  now ," one of the  Ricks said to  his teammate ,  while staring at the boy. He  had been twirling a  pocket knife in  his hand  since earlier . 

" Nah , tell me. "  replied the  other . 

" I'm thinking it's been a long time  since I've fucked a  Morty ." 

The boy  froze , and a feeling of  déja vu  seized him . 

"Yeah,  same for me,"  replied the  teammate ,  looking at the kid. 

The  two Ricks looked at  each other for a moment and  then both smiled salaciously .  They got up  from their chairs and one of  them grabbed Morty by the  collar . 

"N-NO,  NO! PLEASE! "  the boy  shouted as  he was tackled on  his back.  His head hit the  ground violently and  his vision  blurred for a moment. He  suddenly felt that Rick's weight was on top of  him and  tried to push  him back  with his fists , in vain. The  other Rick  grabbed his wrists firmly and  held them above his head . 

Morty uttered another scream that echoed through the room,  this one  even more  desperate than the first one. The  tears that were flowing prevented him from clearly seeing the  predatory gaze of the  two Ricks who were attacking him . The boy no longer  had the  strength to  scream any more.  His body  was trembling with fear and  his tears intensified when the Rick on top of  him began to  cut his sweater  with his knife . The  knife was not  sharp enough to  cut through the  thick fabric .  Frustrated , the Rick  threw his knife away ,  grunting , and in an  excess of rage,  finished tearing the  boy's sweater  with his bare hands. 

Morty was startled and  frightened when his torso was suddenly exposed . 

" There  you go,  that's much better ..." the Rick  cooed as  he stared at the  boy's nipples . He  bent down and  licked them like a  hungry dog. 

"Open  his mouth ," the Rick  then ordered his teammate when he had finished abusing the  boy's chest . 

The Rick  quickly undid his belt while his teammate let go of  Morty's wrists to  grab his jaw . The boy  shook his head frantically at the  sight of the  Rick's erection . 

"Don't  you dare bite,  got it . Or  I'll knock out  your pretty little teeth ," the man  threatened as  he brought his hips closer to  his face. 

Morty closed his mouth , but the Rick  pressed painfully against his cheeks . He  managed to insert  his disgusting finger to open  it , but the boy  didn't let  it happen so easily and bit as hard as  he could . 

"  OUCH! You  little Bitch! "  grunted the Rick as  he removed his sore finger. 

Morty immediately regretted his move  when he saw the man's  eyes go  dark . The boy  didn't have time to  stammer an excuse  when the  Rick's fist fell hard on  his face and  then on  his stomach .  Morty's breath was taken away . An  excruciating pain  contracted his intestines and  he was almost certain  that his nose was broken . 

The Rick  lifted his fist again and  Morty already knew that the  next punch  would knock him out. 

" Hey! What the  hell are  you doing ?"  said a Rick  who suddenly entered the room. 

"Oh Happy..."  said the Rick  who was on  Morty " We were having a fun time,  you want to  join no-" 

The Rick  did not have time to finish  his sentence and  was grabbed by the  collar and  pinned against the  nearest wall . 

" What the  hell ,  you know  we never touch Tony's merchandise," Happy  grunted . " It's against the  rules ." 

"Relax, man,  that kid's gonna get killed anyway. Our  teammate went to  warn Tony,  so in the  meantime we're just enjoying the  meal while it's still hot," the Rick  replied . 

" Whether he's here to  get killed or not,  it doesn't change the  fact that we're on  Tony's property and  you can do  whatever he wants ." 

"Are  you sure  it's the not  playing by the  rules that's bothering you , Happy ?"  asked the Rick  mischievously . " Isn't it more  because you're acting like a  pussy every time  there's a  Morty around ? You  want to  play the  knight in  shining armor ?  Why do  you want to help the kid, are  you a  doofus Rick or  something?Besides , I  heard the boss  scolded you for  ogling one of  his Mortys .  Well ,  they're pretty hot,  so I can  understand you . Even I  often think about  it when I  see them in the halls, I tell  myself that I  could grab one of  them and  shove my dick down  his throat .  Especially the  third one, the one  that's always under Tony's desk. This one  is a real  little slut "  he provoked .

"I  forbid you to talk about Momo like  that ,"  replied Happy  angrily ,  tightening his grip. 

The Rick  smiled a  satisfied smile , as if  he had achieved what he had intended . " That's what I  thought ..."  he said and Happy  released him as  he backed away , feeling  that he had just been  caught . 

The  third teammate walked into the room at the  same time, to  warn that the boss  was waiting for  them upstairs . 

" I'll take care of  it ,"  said Happy as  he looked at the Rick  he had released before squatting down in front of the boy. "Come on,  get up,"  he said calmly ,  offering his hand. " We'll get you a new  shirt first." 

Morty hesitated for a moment as  he looked at  Happy's scars on  his face, but  finally agreed , feeling the  benevolence in  his eyes . 

The boy  straightened up and  tried to ignore the look of the abusive Rick  staring at  him and the  way he noisily re- tightened his belt . 

Morty followed Happy out of the room. 

He  was about to  meet Tony.  These may have been  his last moments. 

***

Morty nervously twisted the end of the new sweater  that Happy  had given him . For once  it was at  his size, and  it even smelled good and the  fabric was nice . 

The boy  was alone in a large room  where he had been  told to  wait . The chandeliers  hanging from the  ceiling , the  moldings on the  walls and the  elegant furniture gave the place a  very mundane atmosphere ,  almost like a  ballroom .  Outside , large  doors opened onto a  beautiful Italian terrace . 

A  door slammed behind him and  Morty turned his head . 

"Baby  Bee! "  exclaimed Tony as  he approached nonchalantly , hands in  his pants  pockets . "I  never thought a  Morty could give me  such a hard time,"  he said with a neutral  smile as  he stood in front of the boy. 

The boy  lowered his head ,  both because he was scared and  because Tony's crotch was just too close to  him for  his liking . 

The  mobster pulled the coffee table  next to  him and  sat down on  it to face and  level with the boy. 

"You know  why you're here ,  don't you ?" Tony  asked ,  adjusting his jacket. This  deliberate gesture exposed the gun  he was carrying on  his belt . 

Morty started sobbing and  nodded his head . 

"I-I-I  never wanted to  spy at the  door .  I'm sorry ,"  said the boy  sniffing . 

" Ooh no,  shhh ,  don't cry sweetheart ..." Tony  whispered in  a soft, manipulative  voice as  he stroked his cheek , " It's not  your fault ,  you just got in the  wrong place at the  wrong time, and  now I have to  kill you .  Life's a bitch  sometimes ,  right?! "  he joked ."But  before I do, I  need you to tell me  where Rick G-77  is ." 

Morty fumbled his sweater  again without answering . 

Tony  sighed ." All right,  listen ..."  he pulled out  his gun and the boy  panicked . "It can  happen one of  two ways .  Either you cooperate , or  you don't cooperate and  I'll have to use the  strong arm  tactic ,"  he threatened ,  waving his gun. "But  either way you'll eventually give me the information. So  be a good  little boy and tell me  where G-77  is , I know  he has the  particle blaster." 

Silence 

" That's not the  answer I  was expecting ,  Mortyyyy " Tony  said ,  impatiently tapping the tip of  his gun  against his own temple, as if to silence a  growing headache . " Think again "  ordered the  mobster . 

"He- he said he went to  take a  shower and  then there was the explosion and-" 

" He  was in the  apartment with you ?" Tony  asked with a  frown . 

" Y-yes ." 

"Fucking  incompetent assholes ,  they told me  he wasn't there .  I'm going to kick  those bastards out." Tony  grunted as  he stood up. " Happy! "  he shouted towards the  door . 

" Did you ask me  boss? " the Rick  said as  he entered the room. 

"  Gather some men  with you and go  get me G-77 at the  apartment where they found the kid, and if  he's not  there you're going to  search the  whole goddamn city! " 

"The  guys told me  that G-77  wasn't there ,  though -" 

"He  was there !"  shouted Tony, " Those idiots  left without checking,  fire them and  find more  guys ,"  ordered the  mobster . 

" With pleasure , boss." Happy  replied with a  satisfied smile ,  knowing it was the  same Ricks from earlier .  Morty understood what it meant to  be fired in the world of the  mobsters , as  he saw him pull out  his gun. 

Happy  left ,  leaving Morty alone with Tony  again . 

"I  hope for  your sake that you told the  truth ," Tony  said as  he approached the boy  again ." Although it wouldn't surprise me if G-77  had already run  away forever . At least  now he's got rid of  you.I still don't understand why he spared you anyway." 

Tony  stood in front of the boy and  lifted his chin . 

" I  mean ,  you're kind of  cute ...but to  give up 700,000  credits ..."  thought the  mobster as  he looked at the  boy's face. " Freckles are not  that bad ,  maybe I  should buy me one like  that ,"  he whispered to  himself as  he released the boy. 

Morty's heart squeezed painfully as  Tony's words still echoed in  his head . For  some reason , the  thought that Rick  had run  away and  abandoned him was terrifying .  Why would he come back for  him anyway ? He  didn't owe him anything anymore . It  would be crazy to come  here and  risk his life. Tony  was right,  why did Rick  spare him in the first place ?  Because he had the  same freckles as  his old Morty ?  They might have  looked alike physically but  they were certainly not the  same . It  could be seen in the  picture .  His old Morty looked happy and  cheerful ,  while he was frail and  fearful.He was nothing , and  there was no  reason for  anyone to come and  save h-

Shots rang out in the distance. 

Tony and  Morty simultaneously turned their heads towards the  door as the  outside din came  closer . More shooting,  fighting noises,  yelling and  screaming ... 

Tony  frowned as  he listened attentively to  what was going on  outside . 

" Boss! " One Rick  opened the  door , out of  breath , " We've got a  problem ,  it's G-" the Rick  stopped himself as a  blade suddenly sliced through his throat from behind . The Rick  vomited a  disgusting amount of  blood and  fell forward ,  dead . 

Behind him , a  shadow appeared . 

Black rangers  stepped into the room as  they stomped over the  corpse.Long legs in black pants  with a  dagger holster on the  thigh , a  military belt holding  two guns, a white  shirt paired with a  leather jacket and an ammunition  scarf across the  chest , and  blood ... enemy blood everywhere ,  covering clothes and  weapons up to the  undercut hairstyle , like Brad Pitt in Fury. 

And  indeed Rick G-77  was in a  furious rage.  His dark gaze  fell on Tony and  he raised his gun to  him . But the  mobster was faster , and  grabbed Morty roughly by the arm to  hold him hostage with his gun. 

"Hi Rick." 

"Tony..." 

The  two men  greeted each other ,  without any courtesy . 

"You  thought you could fuck me  so easily ,  didn't you , G- 77?! "  says Tony,  with a  threatening smile . 

" Let go of the kid, Tony..." Rick  grunted ,  pointing his gun at the  mobster .

"Not  until you give me the  pulverizer . And  don't you dare mess  with me or I'  ll shoot  him dead ." Tony  pressed the barrel of  his gun harder  against the  boy's temple, and the boy  cried out in  terror . 

Rick  clenched his jaw . It  was impossible for  him to shoot Tony  since he was using the boy as a  human shield . Even  with his accuracy there was a  small chance  that Morty would be hit, and  that was not an option. On the  other hand, if  he obeyed Tony and  handed him the  particle blaster,  he could be sure  that the  mobster would kill them the  next second. 

Goddamn it ,  he was trapped !

Just at the  same moment  Tony's three Mortys appeared in the  doorway ,  panicked . 

"  daddy ,  what's going on,  there's gunshots everywhere !" 

"BOYS GET OUT OF  THERE! " Tony  shouted . 

The  three Mortys cried out in  terror when they saw the macabre  scene . 

Rick  had a flash. It  was his chance to  turn the situation  around . He  managed to catch one of the  Mortys while the  other two managed to run  away . 

Tony  swore between his teeth . 

" How about a deal ?! Free  my Morty and  I'll free  yours ," Rick  said , holding the  struggling Morty firmly in  his arms . A  slight remorse pinched him when he felt the  Morty's small body  trembling against him . But  he had no  choice . 

"You  haven't figured it out  yet ," Tony  sighed , "I  make the  rules here ."

"Oh yeah, are  you sure  Tony? " Rick  adds , putting  his gun  away to  take the  pulverizer . "You know  what it is ,  don't you , and  you know I can destroy  anything with this . I  could pulverize your Morty ...or I  could pulverize you .  It's up to  you ." 

" You'll never dare !" Tony  provoked him with a  sinister smile . "And do  you know  why ?  Because you're a  coward , and  weak .  When things get too difficult for  you ,  you prefer to  give up,  don't you ?!  That's why you didn't kill Baby Bee like I  told you to...and  that's why you abandoned your old Morty to  his fate,  isn't it ?" 

Rick bit  his lip in rage and  pressed the barrel of the gun  against the  Morty he was holding,  looking Tony in the  eye . 

" Boss! " Happy  suddenly yelled as  he entered the room, and Rick  rolled his eyes ,  thinking he should have  closed the  damn door . 

"Hey  you ,  get off  him !" Happy  said ,  pointing his gun at G-77  when he saw he had one of the  Mortys hostage . 

Shit, Rick  didn't like  this sudden triangular situation. He  couldn't handle two Ricks pointing a gun at  him ,  even with the  pulverizer . 

"Go  ahead ,  what are  you waiting for! Shoot! " Tony  said to  him with a  dark look. 

"But  boss! "  intervened Happy,  who didn't understand why Tony  was encouraging G-77 to shoot  his own Morty . 

"Shoot,"  repeated Tony,  challenging Rick, " Prove to me  that you're not  just a  coward and  that you can  kill a  Morty ," Tony  grunted ,  getting more and more  serious . 

"N-no  daddy ... don't let  him kill me."  sobbed Tony's Morty ,  also confused by the  mobster's words . 

No one  understood what Tony  was trying to do, not  even Rick. 

"Boss stop,  what are  you doing ... he might kill Mom \-  he might kill your Morty !" Happy  worried , not  knowing what to  think about the situation. 

Rick  looked at Happy,  Morty and Tony. The more pressure Tony put on  him , the more  his hands  began to  shake .  Could he really do  it ?  Could he really kill a  Morty ... even if  it was to  save the one  he cared about?

" That's what I  thought ..." Tony  suddenly whispered after a  silence."Let me show  you how  it's done ." 

Time  stopped for a moment  when a  gunshot rang out.  Everyone watched in  horror as a  bullet punctured the  throat of  Tony's Morty . And as the boy  fell to  his knees in slow motion, a  stream of  blood splashed everywhere , and  he lay on the  ground . 

" MOMO! "  Happy's scream tore  through the room, and  it was as if time  had started again . He  rushed towards the  Morty without thinking , and  took his little bloody body in  his arms . 

"WHAT HAVE YOU  DONE! " Happy  shouted towards Tony  whose gun barrel  was still smoking. 

"You  think I  didn't know?"Tony said coldly , "Come on Happy,  I'm not an idiot. I know  you were fucking my Morty behind my back. I  hate being betrayed.And honestly ,  two Mortys is enough ." 

" What ,  who told y-" Happy  was cut by a  bullet right in the  head and  collapsed on Momo  whom he was still holding in  his arms . 

" See Rick,  this is what happens to people  who don't play by  my rules ," Tony  laughed . 

Rick  stepped back,  shocked by  Tony's action,  looking with horror at the massacre at  his feet . 

"Rick  watch out! "  Morty shouted

The  hitman looked up and  narrowly dodged Tony's shot by  hiding behind one of the sofas. Shit,  he couldn't shoot back  without risking hitting Morty . Back to the  starting point. 

" Okay , Tony  you win ,"  he said ,  raising his hands in the air. He  got up  slowly from behind the couch. 

"I  knew you'd cooperate at  some point.  You're a  soldier after all,  following the  rules is the  only thing you know." Tony  said mockingly . 

"The  pulverizer is yours ..." Rick  said in a  calm tone ,  raising it up, " so go  get it ,"  he added ,  throwing it away with full force. 

" NO! "  yelled Tony as  he let go of  Morty to jump and  try to catch  it in  mid -air. 

But the gun  flew across the room and  landed on the  terrace behind them . 

The  next second Rick and Tony  both sprinted towards the  terrace . 

Tony  dived forward to  grab the  pulverizer but Rick  had just enough time to kick  it away and slide  it behind him . 

"  Motherfucker !" Tony  grunted . He  took off  his jacket,  threw it to the  side , and  rolled up the sleeves of  his shirt . 

"Come on,  I'm waiting for  you ," Rick  said as  he got into fighting position. If Tony  wanted the gun  he had to go over  his dead body. 

The  mobster threw the first punch,  which Rick  dodged easily . But Tony  soon followed up  with another series of  punches ,  faster and more  powerful . Shit,  since when did Tony know how to  fight so well ?! 

Rick  didn't have time to  think about  it further ,  he received a  huge punch in the  stomach and  backed away coughing . 

"  Well yeah , I' m not the boss for no  reason you know," Tony  laughed . 

Rick  clenched his fists and  attacked back. Tony  defended himself well but  was not  so enduring . Rick  managed to break  his guard and hit  him with a right  hook . 

"  Well yeah I' m not a hit man for no  reason ,  you know," Rick  said with a  satisfied smile when he saw the  mobster with a bloody  nose , "I' m  going to  kill you ,"  he added as  he threw himself at Tony. 

The  two men  fell to the  ground . Rick  grabbed Tony's throat and  began to  strangle him . The  mobster grunted and  managed to  grab the gun Rick  was carrying on  his belt . 

"Shit,"  swore the hit man. He  grabbed Tony's wrist to stop  him from aiming . The  mobster managed to pin the hit man down on the  ground , and  was positioned above him . 

"Rule  number one: No  witnesses , right G-77," Tony  laughed hysterically as  he regained the  advantage . 

Rick  grunted as the barrel of the gun came  dangerously close to  his temple. He  struggled as hard as  he could , but  he couldn't get Tony's hand to  deviate , Tony  was crushing him with all  his weight . The muscles of the  hitman trembled under the effort. He  couldn't take it anymore ,  he was about to let go. The  weapon was only inches away from his skull now . 

" NOOOOO! " Rick  shouted as  he felt his last  strength leaving him . He met  Tony's cruel gaze, and  they both knew there was no  hope for  him . Rick  closed his eyes . At least  Morty had been able to escape. 

A shot  fired . It  was the end. 

Rick  opened his eyes .  That's it ,  he was dead ? 

Tony  stared at  him with a  smile . But  his smile faded away little by  little . 

Suddenly he coughed up a  gush of  blood and Rick  saw the  spark of life die in  his eyes . The gun Tony  was holding in  his hand  fell to the  ground , and the  mobster dropped on  his chest .  Motionless . 

The  hitman remained stunned for a few moments.  Then he moved free and  pushed Tony's body to the  side . 

"M- Morty !" Rick  whispered as  he saw the boy standing in front of  him with a gun in  his hand. He  was still aiming it forward ,  tetanized . 

"I-I  killed someone ,"  Morty said as  he watched in  horror over  Tony's dead body. " I'm a-a  murderer . 

Rick  got up and  approached the boy to  hug him . He  gently took the gun out of  his hands and  squeezed his trembling little body close. 

"You  saved me," Rick  whispered in  his ear . 

" Then we're even now ,"  Morty joked in a  febrile voice . 

Rick  chuckled and  lifted the  boy's chin to  lay a tender  kiss on  his lips . 

" Was that true earlier ?  When you told Tony  that I  was your Morty ."  he asked . 

"Um... It  will be true only if  you want it to  be true . Do  you want to  um ..." Shit,  why did that sound like a  proposal ? "Do  you want to  be my Morty ?" Rick  asked . 

Morty nodded vigorously and gave Rick the  most adorable  smile he's ever seen . 

He  leaned over and  kissed him ,  this time more  passionately . 

"Hum R-Rick..."  Morty gently pushed him away as  he watched his bloody  clothes . "You  should a- take a  shower first." 

"Yeah...  you're right." Rick  went to  pick up the  sprayer and  took Morty by the hand,  ready to go. "And  what about  getting something to  eat ? " 

"Yeah,  where ?" 

"I  don't know,  Wendys '  maybe ..." 

"And  what do  we do about  Tony's men? Will  they still want to  kill us? "  Morty asked . 

"Don't  worry ,  we'll do  some cleaning ." Rick  said ,  spinning the  pulverizer in  his hand. "Rule  number one: no  witnesses ." 

Rick and  Morty looked at  each other in the  eyes for a moment as an  afternoon sun lit up  their faces.  From now on  they were free to  choose their own rules . 

*** 

** The End **

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading my fanfic. Feel free to comment and tell me what you thought about it. Kudos are also welcome <3


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